Shane Richmond is Head of Technology (Editorial) for Telegraph Media Group. He first joined the Telegraph in 1998 and has been Online News Editor and Communities Editor. He writes about all kinds of technology but especially Apple, iOS, ebooks and ereaders, and digital media.

Children need to learn about online risks but not all parents know enough to teach them

It's hard to argue against the UK Council for Child Internet Safety's plans to promote safety online, as outlined in a report published today.

Instead of blaming technology itself for somehow corrupting, defiling or stupefying our children, the Click Clever, Click Safe report [link to report PDF] recommends for better education and parental controls that allow children to access suitable content for their age. Hooray for common sense!

It's not always easy to control what children look at, clearly, but warning them of the dangers and encouraging them to be responsible is a better approach than scaremongering.

There's even a catchy slogan for children to remember. "Zip it, block it, flag it" is the new mantra for kids to learn. It's no Stop, Look, Listen but then the slogans were better in my day.

The report makes clear that the internet is generally a positive experience for children. More than three quarters of children interviewed by the Council said the internet meant always having their friends there when they needed them. And two-thirds said their parents have rules governing how they use the internet.

Less encouraging is the finding that 18 per cent of children questioned have encountered harmful or inappropriate material online. Worse, only half of them have done anything about it. It's to be hoped that children will learn to 'flag it' and tell someone when they come across unsuitable material.

The report also shows that parents often feel lost when it comes to either administering parental filters or understanding the technology their children are using.

"I honestly don't know who to contact when something goes wrong," one mother tells researchers. "I lost the password to the bit that does parental controls and ended up just switching them off as I couldn't use the computer."

Meanwhile, an 11-year-old boy says: "I am the one who updates the anti-virus at home!"

That's why schools and the Government have to play a role. Most parents are competent to educate their children in the dangers of wandering too far from home or the risk of getting into a stranger's car but online it's the children who often know more. And many of them learn their lessons in an undesirable way.